ical
information, there arose the difficulty that it was chiefly supplied
from Ireland. If all hagiology were under a general suspicion of the
fabulous, Irish history was known to be a luxuriant preserve of fables,
and these causes of dubiety being multiplied by each other in the mind,
it seemed almost impossible to obtain a hearing for the new voice. In
fact, during a long period the three nations were engaged in a
competition which should carry its history through the longest track of
fictitious glory, and this was a kind of work in which Ireland beat her
neighbours entirely. Hence, when all were pressing pretty close upon the
Deluge, Ireland took the leap at once and cleared that gulf. As a
fairish record of these successful efforts, I would recommend to the
reader's notice a very well-conditioned and truly learned-looking folio
volume, called "The General History of Ireland, collected by the learned
Jeffrey Keating, D.D., faithfully translated from the original Irish
Language, with many curious Amendments taken from the Psalters of Tara
and Cashel, with other authentic Records, by Dermod O'Connor, Antiquary
to the Kingdom of Ireland." Opposite to the title-page is a full-length
portrait of Brian Boroomh, whose fame has been increased of late years
by the achievements of his descendant in the cabbage-garden. The monarch
is in full burnished plate armour, with scarf and surcoat--all three
centuries at least later in fashion than the era attributed to him. But
that is a trifle. It would involve much hard and useless work to make
war on the anachronisms of historical portraits, and we are not to judge
of historical works by their engraved decorations. Here, however, the
picture is sober truth itself to what the inquiring reader finds in the
typography. After the descriptive geographical introduction common in
old histories, the real commencement comes upon us in this form:--

"Of the first invasion of Ireland before the Flood!" "Various," the
author tells us, "are the opinions concerning the first mortal that set
a foot upon this island. We are told by some that three of the daughters
of Cain arrived here, several hundred years before the Deluge. The white
book, which in the Irish is called Leabhar Dhroma Sneachta, informs us
that the oldest of these daughters was called Banba, and gave a name to
the whole kingdom. After these, we are told that three men and fifty
women arrived in the island; one of them was called Ladhr